An ambassador for a cancer support initiative has shared how she started a group in Sheffield and how movement and community have helped members through their cancer journeys.
Helen Quirk, 36, a researcher in physical activity for health, is part of 5K Your Way Endcliffe, a support group that encourages people affected by cancer to stay active together.
Groups meet monthly at more than 100 parks across the UK and Ireland, to participate in a parkrun and a shared coffee and conversation.
Quirk, who has taken part in parkrun since 2011, ‘jumped at the opportunity’ to create a group in Sheffield after hearing that Move Against Cancer had launched 5K Your Way in 2018.
Her research focuses on developing our understanding of physical activity participation and particularly on increasing the activity levels of those who face barriers to taking part.
She said: “It’s a great way for me to bring together my professional and personal interests.
“As an Ambassador, it’s really rewarding seeing the positive impact our group has.
“We’ve also experienced loss, which is difficult for us but we take pride in having supported people at the end of their life.”
In the UK, around 3 million people are currently living with cancer, and approximately 400,000 are diagnosed each year, according to 2024 statistics.
Quirk says the benefits of staying active while living with or beyond cancer are “almost endless’.
“We tend to think about them as physical, mental, and social,” she said.
Physical benefits range from reduction in cancer-related fatigue to alleviating treatment side effects and lowering the risk of cancer recurrence.
Being active can reduce anxiety and boost self-esteem, and 5K Your Way values the social benefits, fostering friendships, providing shared experience and reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation.
The group encourages people to ‘go at their own pace’, whether that means running, jogging, walking, spectating or even just going for the social side.
Quirk said: “One quote from an attendee that always sticks in my mind is, ‘I’d never have got out of bed today if it wasn’t for this’.”
Move Against Cancer continues to grow into a community that believes in the power of movement for those impacted by cancer.
